Milly adjusted her stance, the heel of her boot grinding softly against the floor as if anchoring herself before an imminent storm. Her palms were slick with sweat against the hilt of her longsword, and her gaze narrowed on the woman perched above them like a judge awaiting the first swing of the gavel. The dark-clad figure raised her right hand high into the air, poised and steady, like a trumpet heralding judgment day. The tension in the room hung thick and palpable, heavy enough to choke on.

Milly's heart pounded within the confines of her suit, each beat echoing in her ears like distant war drums. She let out a dry, nervous chuckle, unable to resist the absurdity of her situation.

"This… This must be how Arthur felt when he faced her," she whispered, tightening her grip on the blade, the metal cold and reassuring against her palm.

Akio, standing beside her, didn't bother asking why Milly laughed. Instead, she tilted her head and smirked, an eager glint in her eyes that promised violence.

Suddenly, Milly's suit roared to life with a metallic hum, crimson lines flaring brightly across the plating. The voice of the machine cut through the charged silence, cold and clinical: "Milly Millizae, thirty-seven percent."

The number hung in the air, a stark reminder of her inadequacy. Too low. They all knew it. Her strength paled in comparison to the monster looming across from her. But that wasn't the point. She yearned to measure herself, to test the mettle of her blade and the tenacity of her will against a legend who had already carved her name into history.

From her elevated perch, the overseer lowered her hand. Her voice sliced through the air like lightning: "BEGIN!"

Milly didn't rush. Unlike Arthur, she wasn't one to blindly charge into battle. She waited, calculated. Kira had always told her that patience was a weapon sharper than steel, and Milly had forged that lesson into her very being.

Akio was a different breed. She thrived in motion, a tempest howling for chaos. Milly had studied her closely during the bout with Arthur and understood that Akio didn't tolerate stillness, she was not a predator stalking her prey; she was a storm that crashed recklessly.

And the storm was already surging forward.

In less than the blink of an eye, Akio closed the distance between them, her speed tearing through the air like a comet. Milly felt the rush of wind whip her hair back violently, yet that wild, wolfish grin on Akio's face was the last thing she saw before the shadow of her fist blotted out her vision.

Instinct kicked in, and Milly bent backward, her body contorting gracefully like a limbo dancer skimming beneath a bar of fire. The punch missed, but the shockwave erupted behind it with ferocity, knocking her off balance.

Seizing the moment, Akio's leg shot upward with almost inhuman flexibility, crashing down toward Milly's midsection like an executioner's axe.

"Shit!" Milly cursed, activating her boosters just in time. They roared to life, propelling her backward moments before the strike could crush her. The floor where she'd been standing shattered under the weight of Akio's heel.

"You're quite the runner, aren't you?" Akio taunted, her tone sharp but laced with amusement.

Milly's jaw clenched, refusing to let the disdainful remark seep under her skin.

With a nimble flip, Akio created distance, her body coiled like a spring, ready for the next assault. Yet, when her feet touched the ground, confusion flickered in her eyes for just an instant.

"There!" Milly shouted, already springing into action. She abandoned her longsword, throwing it wide, the blade streaking toward Akio like a dark blur. Reflexively, Akio twisted to evade, her attention locked onto the flying weapon, exactly as Milly had predicted. For that fleeting moment, Akio's focus was divided.

"OVERDRIVE ACTIVATE!" Milly's voice thundered as her suit howled to life, radiating with a furious crimson glow, the outlines burning like the very essence of her will. Her veins felt like molten fire, her heartbeat spiking into a chaotic frenzy. The world around her slowed, each gasp from the audience hanging in the air like echoes trapped in amber.

"Holy shit," Isak breathed from the sidelines, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Milly surged forward, fist cocked back, every fiber of her body screaming under the strain but propelling her recklessly onward.

"I'VE GOT YOU!" she roared, her voice a visceral battle cry.

The collision was cataclysmic. The floor beneath them trembled as if the entire facility threatened to collapse, a booming shockwave rattling bones and walls alike. Dust and smoke exploded into the arena, enveloping the battlefield in a suffocating haze.

"Did she... Did she land it?" Kira whispered, gripping the railing, her knuckles white with tension.

Arthur, still recovering from his earlier defeat, dragged himself closer, disbelief etched on his face. "No way…"

As the smoke began to part, the tension reached a fever pitch.

"COME ON!" Milly screamed, her body suspended midair, her punch locked in an unyielding embrace.

And there stood Akio, calm and unbroken, her palm wrapped tightly around Milly's fist. The heat from the impact hissed off her hand in faint wisps of smoke. The raw power had been there, the intent had surged through Milly like a wildfire. But it wasn't enough.

"Impressive," Akio admitted, her grin widening, savoring the clash like a connoisseur tasting the finest wine. "You almost fooled me. That decoy, throwing your blade, it bought you a second. A second you used beautifully." Her voice dropped an octave, transforming from playful to menacing. "But it still isn't enough."

With a flick of her wrist, she flung Milly aside like a ragdoll, sending her skidding across the floor. Sparks erupted from the damaged suit, a constellation of electricity against the backdrop of the dimly lit arena. Milly's systems wailed in protest, an onslaught of warnings flashing across her visor: **FATAL ERROR. SYSTEMS FAILING.** The effects of her Overdrive left her feeling heavy, her breaths coming in painful gasps, like dragging knives through her lungs.

"Milly…" Kira's voice echoed with anxiety, her heart racing.

Akio's eyes narrowed, savage determination emanating from her stance. "I underestimated you. But now, it's time to finish this," she declared, and in the next instant, she closed the distance between them, her fists a blur of lethal motion. Each strike hit like gunfire, explosive and relentless.

Milly struggled to dodge, but her body lagged, movements sluggish, each impact reverberating through her arms as if they were fragile branches about to splinter. Pain stacked higher, an unbearable crescendo until her suit screamed: **WARNING. RETREAT IMMEDIATELY.**

Retreat? She couldn't retreat, not here. Not with Kira watching. Not against a rival who was more than a foe; she was a titan, a legend.

Akio swept low with her leg, cutting Milly's feet out from under her. As Milly soared through the air, the world spun in dizzying chaos. The moment of weightlessness was abruptly shattered as Akio's downward punch connected with her abdomen, a cataclysmic impact pulsating through the floor, sending shockwaves that rattled bones and twisted the fabric of the space around them.

"MILLY!" Kira's voice fractured with desperation, calling out just as Milly's body slammed into the unforgiving ground, trembling but unmoving.

"OVER!" The overseer's voice boomed, hands raised, signaling the fight's abrupt end.

Kira's heart pounded fiercely. Without hesitation, she vaulted over the ledge, wings unfurling, slicing through the air as she landed beside Milly. Dropping to her knees, she felt relief flood through her veins, Milly was alive. Bruised and battered, but alive.

Milly's lips curled into a weak smile. With shaking hands, she raised a thumb in an awkward gesture of reassurance. "Heh… Even getting that close deserves something, right?" she rasped.

Kira choked back her emotions, forcing a smile despite the knot in her throat. "Lunch. My treat. Next time."

As she helped Milly up, Kira glanced at Akio, who now approached not as a predator, but as a mentor. Akio extended her hand toward Milly, her voice softer than it had been throughout the fight. "You possess young talent, Milly… It excites me. Truly."

Milly's eyes widened, shimmering with sudden elation. A compliment from her. Her hero. Gratitude swelled in her heart, making her nod furiously as she clutched Akio's hand. "I'll get stronger. I promise."

"Good," Akio replied simply, her grin sharp yet warm, holding an intriguing promise within it.

As Isak and another teammate swooped down to assist Milly off the field, Kira lingered, watching her friend's retreating figure. Battered, yet bearing that stubborn spark, the ember of determination she refused to allow anyone to extinguish.

Then Akio's gaze shifted, locking onto Kira. "I guess it's you now, Kira Mizuno." The weight of her words was palpable, neither cruel nor inviting, but undeniably commanding.

Kira clenched her fists, a familiar sense of foreboding creeping back into her gut. Flashbacks flooded her mind, past failures, the island, Tokyo's shadows, the familiar taste of helplessness rising like bile. She hated that feeling. Despised it. And she vowed never to let it consume her again.

Eyes blazing with fierce defiance, she met Akio's unwavering gaze. "Fine. But I promise you'll get a better fight."

Akio's grin widened, sharp as a blade about to strike, her intent hungry for the upcoming battle. With a purposeful turn, she walked to the far end of the arena, her aura commanding silence from the hushed crowd. The anticipation crackled like static electricity, each heartbeat echoing, a relentless drum, building tension that hung heavy in the air.

Kira stepped forward, her mind racing. The third match was about to begin, and the stakes had never felt higher. But as she prepared to face her own fears, a nagging thought clawed at her, did she have what it took to stand against a legend? Or would she, too, be swept away, just like Milly?

The answer loomed ominously, as the overseer raised a hand, signaling the start. The world narrowed down to this singular moment. Kira inhaled sharply, steeling herself.

And then there was nothing.

Only the silence before the storm.

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